The present invention relates to an audio mixing console provided with a plurality of operators used for an operation for mixing sound signals of a plurality of channels and the like, and particularly, the present invention relates to an audio mixing console including an LED operator, in which a multicolor LED unit constituted from a set of LEDs respectively corresponding to a predetermined plurality of colors is incorporated, in the plurality of operators.
It is known to express various kinds of colors by constructing a set of multicolor LED units using three LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) respectively corresponding to RGB (red (R), green (G), blue (B)), which are three primary colors of light, and causing a red LED, a green LED and a blue LED to emit light with an arbitrary ratio of the respective colors.
The multicolor LED unit as described above is utilized for various parts of various devices. One usage example of the multicolor LED unit is that a so-called illuminated operator (LED operator) is configured by incorporating the multicolor LED unit in an operator provided in an electronic device. For example, conventionally, it has been carried out that a multicolor LED unit is incorporated in each of a large number of operators provided in the audio mixing console for audio mixing. In this case, lighting-up of the multicolor LED unit or color coding of its emitting color allows a user to intuitively compass an on/off state of a parameter assigned to the LED operator, a type of parameter and the like through sight. In general, the user of the audio mixing console must carry out complicated work using a large number of operators. For this reason, it is advantageous that the user can intuitively compass, through sight, an on/off state of a parameter, a type of parameter and the like by means of emission of the multicolor LED unit in view of workability, operability and the like.
Now, individual LEDs constituting the multicolor LED unit have a defect of large variation in light-emitting properties of individuals. For this reason, even though LEDs intend to emit light with the same light-emitting property by supplying the same drive signal to the respective LEDs of a plurality of multicolor LED units, unevenness occurs in mutual brightness of the multicolor LED units and hue of the emitting color. For example, even though a plurality of multicolor LED units are caused to emit light with the same red, it is not always that all of the multicolor LED units emit light with “red” of the same brightness or hue.
Heretofore, In order to solve a problem of variation in a light-emitting property of every LED, a device for adjusting brightness or color tones for individual LEDs has been created. As an example, there is technique to automatically measure a lighting state of each of the LEDs, to compare a result of the automatic measurement with a drive signal for turning the LED on, and to correct light-emitting properties of the respective LEDs on the basis of the comparison result (for example, see Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 below).
Further, as for a user interface of the audio mixing console, in the technique to adjust brightness and hue of display, for example, there has been one that automatically adjusts, when the user adjusts luminosity of a screen of a color LCD display provided in the audio mixing console, hue of the screen of the color LCD display and the like in accordance with the adjusted luminosity (for example, see Patent Literature 3).
Further, heretofore, there was an audio mixing console provided with a configuration to change an emitting color of an illuminated operator in which the multicolor LED unit and the like are incorporated. According to this configuration, a user could select the emitting color for every operator by launching a screen for carrying out settings regarding an operator on a display provided in the audio mixing console and selecting a desired color from a plurality of choices determined in advance on the screen (see Non-Patent Literature 1).
Further, in a controller for carrying out audio editing work and video editing work using a computer, there was technique that a display color of each operator and display characters can be changed arbitrarily in accordance with display content of the screen by emitting light to a key top portion of the operator provided on an operation panel from the inside by means of a color LCD screen embedded in the operation panel (see Non-Patent Literature 2).
[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2003-177714
[Patent Literature 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2008-203892
[Patent Literature 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2006-178131
[Non-Patent Literature 1] XL8 Control Center Quick Reference Guide, online, searched on Feb. 2, 2009, the Internet <URL: http://www.eviaudio.fr/doc/midas/consoles/xl8_quick_reference_guide.pdf>
[Non-Patent Literature 2] Product guide “innovative controller operated by Xynergi Media Production Centre-FPGA CC-1 engine”, online, searched on Feb. 2, 2009, the Internet <URL: http://www.fairlight.co.jp/goods/goods4.html>
The respective LEDs constituting the multicolor LED unit has a defect of large variation in light-emitting properties (brightness and hue) of individuals as described above. However, in a conditional audio mixing console, there was no one that the user can adjust brightness of the multicolor LED unit incorporated in the operator.
Further, even in the case where work that the user adjusts brightness of the multicolor LED unit provisionally becomes possible in the audio mixing console, the work is appendant work in view of original functions of the audio mixing console. In addition, work for the original functions of the audio mixing console is very complicated work having a high degree of specialization. From these aspects, since the audio mixing console is configured so that the user can adjust brightness of the multicolor LED unit, it is desired that the audio mixing console can adjust the brightness of the multicolor LED unit by a method as easy as possible and that can be understood by the user.
Further, in the case where the technique described in Patent Literature 1 or 2 described above is provisionally applied to the audio mixing console, a mechanism to automatically measure a lighting state for each of a large number of LEDs corresponding to a large number of operators must be provided, whereby it costs largely. As described above, since a function that the user adjusts brightness of the multicolor LED unit is an appendant function in view of the original functions of the audio mixing console, it is desired that this function is achieved with costs as little as possible.
The audio mixing console disclosed in Non-Patent Literature 1 described above has a configuration to select the emitting color of the illuminated operator from choices of a plurality of colors in advance. For this reason, there was no one that the user can create the emitting color of arbitrary hue and adjust the hue. Further, the technique described in Non-Patent Literature 2 is designed to change a display color of each operator and display characters in response to the function set to a controlled object of the controller, but does not disclose to create the emitting color for every operator, or adjust the hue. In addition, this technique is technique to change the display color of the operator and the like by displaying a display object corresponding to the operator image on the LCD screen. For this reason, there is no one that can be applied to creation of the emitting color of the arbitrary hue in the illuminated operator of the audio mixing console, which does not have such a configuration.
In short, in the conditional audio mixing console, it was impossible to arbitrarily create hue of the emitting color of the LED operator, in which the multicolor LED unit is incorporated, in response to an operation of the user and to adjust the hue of the emitting color of the LED operator in response to an operation of the user.
Further, even though work that the user adjusts hue of the multicolor LED unit (LED operator) in the audio mixing console provisionally becomes possible, the work is appendant work in view of original functions of the audio mixing console. In addition, work for the original functions of the audio mixing console is very complicated work having a high degree of specialization. From these aspects, since the audio mixing console is configured so that the hue of the multicolor LED unit can be adjusted by means of an operation of the user, it is desired that hue adjustment of the multicolor LED unit can be carried out by a method as easy as possible and that can be understood by the user.